Big tip for 2025 from Rough Trade Shops. The Orchestra (For Now) release their ambitious debut EP Plan 75. The release is a wild-eyed collection of songs that represent a collective of true musicians in perpetual motion. Last year, without any music online, the band quickly became an exciting fixture in the UK’s live music scene and, with Plan 75, they solidify that promise with four tracks of pure invention. 

Lead single and second ever release “Skins” is an acerbic burst of confidence that is emblematic of their debut collection,  a remarkable achievement that fuses a winding, progressive piano figure with a bug-eyed vocal performance from Joseph Scarisbrick that only builds in intensity throughout the song. “Skins” alludes to the frenetic angst of teenage drama without the band ever having seen a single episode. 

The ever-shifting nature of “Skins” underpins the bands’ desire to never stagnate on Plan 75. Their music is in a constant state of flux: motifs come and go, pop-culture references and black humour mesh with images of sinking, desolation and escape, all while being wrapped in a maelstrom of sound containing strings, raging guitars and a vocalist that refuses to compromise. 

Previously released track “Wake Robin”, an 8 minute odyssey, closes out Plan 75, detailing the early stages and origins of the band that stemmed from a previous project. From this rebirth the band created Plan 75, four tracks of anxiety, invention and skill that highlight the pay off of ripping it up and starting again.